Set of nested chairs



June 16, 1953 D. C DARY SET OF NESTED CHAIRS Filed Dec. 26, 1951 DOROTHEE C. DARY HER ATTORN EY Patented June 16, 1953 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE SET OF NESTED CHAIRS Dorothee C. Dary, Sunnyvale,0alif.

Application December 26, 1951, Serial No. 263,150 Claims. (01. 155 2) The present invention relates to chairs, and pertains more particularly to a set of chairs which are armless when separated, but which are constructed so as to nest together in such a manner that the backs of some of the chairs when separated, become the arms of a chair formed by nesting. r

In the past it has been common practice to make sets of nesting furniture, such as, for example, tables or chairs. Most of such sets have, however, been of rather conventional styling and arrangement.

The present invention contemplates the interfitting of a set of chairs of sturdy, solid appearance. 'An important feature of the invention consists in the nesting together of a set'of chairs to form a single chair larger than any of the chairs alone, and wherein parts of the nested chairs form composite parts of the resultant larger chair. Another object of the invention is to nest a pair of small chairs into each other, and both thereof into a larger chair whereby the parts of the smaller chairs which form the backs thereof when separated, form arms for the larger chair when nested.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a set of nested chairs embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the chairs shown in Fig. 1 as they appear when separated for individual use.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken as along line 4-4 of Fig. 3 but with the chairs of the set nested as shown in Fig. 1. 1

Referring to the drawings in detail, a composite line 3--3 chair A (Fig. 1) may consist of three nested chairs B, C and D. The three nesting chairs illustrated. are for the purpose of disclosingone form only of the invention, as will be obvious to those familiar with the art. r

In the illustrated set of chairs; the chair B comprises a central, or master fchairfwithin the seat portion of which, the seat portions of the othertwo chairs C and D are adapted to be inserted in a manner to be described later herein. The master chair B has a back portion I0, which may be a solid panel, or of other suitable construction as required. Since such structures and the manner of making them are well known in'the art, it will be unnecessary to set forth the structural details of the chairs herein.

A seat portion II of the master chair B comprises a seat panel I2 secured for cantilever support on the chair back ID. A usual cushion I3, is mounted on the seat panel 12, and a flexible cover 14, which may be of suitable upholstering material, such as plastic sheet material, is fitted over the cushion I3 and is secured beneath the seat panel I2.

A front leg portion I5, which maybe of structure corresponding to that of the back panel I0, is secured to the forward end of the seat panel I2 to provide support for the front of the seat. The seat portion I I is centered on the back panel I0, and both the seat portion I I and the leg portion I5 are narrower than the back panel III by an amount equal to the sum of the thickness of the backs of the two inter-nesting chairs C and D. Thus, when the two chairs C and D are nested into position as shown in Fig. 1, the backs of the two chairs C and D will form side arms for the composite chair A thus formed, as will be described later herein. I

The first inter-nesting side chair C has a back portion I6 which may be constructed similarly to the back ID of the center or master chair B, but is of lesser height than the back of the master chair. A seat I! of the chair C comprises a seat panel I8 secured to the back portion IS in any suitable manner. The seat panel I8 preferably is centered on the back portion l6, as shown in Fig. 2, and the back portion I6 is of a width to permit it to be fitted flush against the back panel ID of the master chair B at one side of the seat portion I I thereof when the chairs are nested to gether as shown in Fig. 1. The seat panel-I8 of the chair C is provided with a cushion 19 which may besimilar in construction to the cushion I3 for themaster chair B, but of a'size corresponding to that of the seat panel I 8.

'- Side leg members 20, 20 (Fig. 2) which may be'of any suitable construction, are mounted one beneath each side of the seat panel I8 of the chair C to support it. A light weight closure member 2|, which may be of fabric, or a thin;

light weight panel is suspended for free swinging movement from the forward edge of the seat panel 1 Upon nestingwith chair D, however, the closure member 2| will be swung upwardly by the chair D to the position shown in Fig. 4. The assembled seat portion I1 and side leg supports 20, 20 of the first nested chair 0 are of a size to have a free 3 slidable fit within the closure formed by the back panel N3, the seat portion H, and the front leg portion of the master chair B as shown in Fig. 4, additional clearance being provided at 28c,

Fig. 4, by reason of the centering of the seat structure on the back panel H5.

The second or innermost inter-nested chair D, has a back portion similar to the back portion [6 of the first nested chair C. The backs l6 and 25 of the two nested chairs C and D are sufficiently low to serve as arms of the master chair B when the three chairs are nested together as shown in Fig. 1.

A seat assembly 2! for the second nested chair D comprises a seat panel 28 and upholstered cushion 29. The seat panel 28 of the chair D is centered on the back portion 25 as shown in Fig. 4. Side leg support members 35, are provided beneath the seat panel 28 of the second nested chair D, and are spaced apart so as to fit between the side leg members 29, -21! of the first nested chair C when nested therewith. A front closure member 3|, which may be of suitable material such as fabric or plywood, is mounted across the front of the chair D to close off the opening between the side leg members Thus when the three chairs B, C and D are nested together as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 the seat portion 21' of the second'nested chair D will be centered between the side leg members 20, 20 and beneath the seat I! of the first nested chair C. As mentioned previously herein, when the seat portion 2l of the chair D is nested under the seat portion of the chair C, the closure member 21 will be swung upwardly to the po sition shown in Fig. 4T Also, when-so nested, both the side edge 25a of the back portion 25 of the nested chair D and the side edge lfia of the back portion it of the nested chair C, will be in substantially abutting contact with the back panel IQ of the master chair B.

When used individually as shown in Fig. 2, the three chairs B, C and D provide a group of correspondingly styled but distinctive chairs. When nested together, howeven as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the set of three chairs forms a single composite chair A, wherein the back portions [6 and 25, respectively, of the first and second nested chairs C and D become side arms for the composite chair A.

Also although not separately illustrated, it is obvious that the first and second nested chairs C and D may be nested together in the same relative positions as those shown in Figs. 2 and 3 but without the master chair B. When so nested, the chairs C and D will form a'settee wherein the seat portion ll of the chair C Will be the seat of the settee thus formed, andthe back portions l6 and 25 of the chairs C and D, respectively, will form side arms for the settee in the same general manner that they form side arms for the master chair B when assembled therewith to form the composite chair A as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and as described pre- Viously herein. I

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and in a straight line style, it will be understood however, that various changes and modifications may be made both in'the styling and in the details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A'set of nesting chairs comprising two chairs each comprising a back portion, a seat portion and a leg portion, one of said chairs having an opening in the forward side thereof to receive the seat and leg portions of the other of said chairs for nesting therein, the back portions of both of said chairs being sufficiently low to form arms at opposite ends of the uppermost seat portion of said chairs when nested.

2. A set of three nesting chairs each comprising a back, a seat, and a leg, one of said chairs comprising a master chair having side openings into a space beneath the seat thereof, the seat leg portion of each of the other-two chairs being adapted to nest in one of said openings, the back portion of each of said other two chairs, when nested, being shaped to conform to a side por- Q r in) chain. V

4. An arrangement according to claim 3 wherein the back and seat of the master chair form the back and seat respectively of the composite chair, and wherein the backs of the other two chairs are of lesser height than the back of the-master chair and form arms of the composite chair. r

5. A set of three nesting chairs, one of said chairs comprising a master chair having a back,

a, seat and a leg panel assembled to form an enclosure .open at both sides of the chair, a second References Cited in the file of. this patent,

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 5,390 Briggs Dec. 11, 1847 433,623 Hunzinger Aug. 5, 1890 789,364 Gaurin et a1 May 9-, 19.05 1,660,119 Decker Feb. 21, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 478,881 Germany Mar. 21, 1929 OTHER REFERENCES Scientific American, June 1923, page 401. 

